15 killed, dozens hurt in Baghdad bombings

Iraqi capital sees violence rise after quiet few weeks

US and Iraqi troops secured one of the explosion sites yesterday. Three bombings were reported across the capital. (Hadi Mizban/Associated Press)

BAGHDAD - Fifteen people were killed and dozens wounded by bombings in Baghdad yesterday, according to the police and hospital officials, part of an uptick in violence after a relatively quiet few weeks.

In al-Mashtal, a predominantly Shi'ite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, an improvised explosive device hidden in a fishmonger's stall killed seven people and wounded 18 when it exploded in the afternoon.

A police colonel, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said that the explosion was caused by a so-called sticky IED, a small bomb with an adhesive backing that can be unobtrusively attached to the underside of a car, or even a table.

"I warned this fish seller only yesterday that his stand on the side of the street was not safe because anyone passing by could set an IED to blow him up, along with his customers," the police colonel said. "He didn't listen, and the poor guy lost his life in today's blast."

In al-Qahera, in northeastern Baghdad, another improvised explosive device killed four people and injured eight.

Abu Rajaa, a shopkeeper who witnessed the blast, said it was caused by a sticky explosive device attached to a pickup truck parked in front of his shop.

"Suddenly the pickup exploded, and two of the people who were in it were killed immediately," Abu Rajaa said. "Several others were injured, and I took care of one of them until the ambulances arrived."

Another bombing in Baghdad singled out the convoy of Ahmed al-Barak, a Shi'ite government official who leads a commission on property disputes. Barak was unharmed, but a passerby was killed and five of his bodyguards and several bystanders were wounded.

Also yesterday, Iraqi customs police in Najaf Province announced the discovery of a large bag full of C4 explosives, wires, and detonators - enough materials to make half a dozen suicide vests, organized into individual do-it-yourself kits - near the Saudi border on Sunday night.

Saadon al-Jaberi, a spokesman for the customs police in Iraq's central region, said the bag was found after Iraqi customs police received intelligence reports that terrorists were trying to enter Iraq from Saudi Arabia.

"On Sunday night, customs police were conducting patrols in an area called Rahba, near Iraq's border with Saudi Arabia," Jaberi said by phone. "They saw a pickup truck heading toward Iraqi territory. When the police noticed the truck, it departed, leaving a bag."

The American military did not comment, and it was not possible to independently verify the findings of the customs police.